Queerer Than Ever: 30 MORE Indie Titles Doing Right by LGBTA Fans

There’s been a lot of talk about diversity lately in the comic book industry, and not all of it good. But while some publishers are still talking about substantial LGBTA inclusion, others are out there doing it. We’ve been here before, with 70 other books that are offering significant queer representation. It’s time to wrap up an even 100 with 30 more indie titles that are giving queer fans life.

Drama

Published by Scholastic
Written by Raina Telgemeier
Art by Raina Telgemeier

One of the most popular graphic novels of the past few years didn’t even hit most comic book shops. Written and drawn by multiple Eisner Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author Raina Telgemeier, Drama tells the story of Callie, a middle-school girl who loves set design for the theater. It touches on all aspects of love, from crushes to homosexuality.

Quantum Teens Are Go

Published by Black Mask Studio
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Art by Erik Donovan and Claudia Aguirre

Teenagers in love working on building a homemade time machine out of parts stolen from different labs. What could go wrong? The writer of Kim & Kim and the artist of Memetic brings us queer and trans leads, punk sci-fi, and alienation on a wild ride.

The Old Guard

Published by Image Comics
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Leandro Fernandez

Imagine living for centuries, learning a thousand ways to kill a man, but knowing you’ll outlive everyone you meet. With three of four lead characters on the queer spectrum, The Old Guard has barely begun telling the story of what it’s like to love (or languish) across centuries — only to light up in battle.

Gumballs

Published by Top Shelf Productions
Written by Erin Nations
Art by Erin Nations

Transforming his comic strip style to a brand new anthology, cartoonist Erin Nations tells a semi-autobiographical tale of his gender transition, depression, and just general awkward life.

Long Red Hair

Published by Conundrum Press
Written by Meags Fitzgerald
Art by Meags Fitzgerald

A graphic memoir that features a young pre-teen just realizing her bisexuality and struggling with being average, Long Red Hair takes readers through first kisses, sworn celibacy, witches, and the cultural allure of red hair throughout history.

Jade Street Protection Services

Published by Black Mask Studio
Written by Katy Rex
Art by Fabian Lelay, Mara Jayne Carpenter, and Taylor Esposito

Billed as a mash-up between The Breakfast Club and Sailor Moon, the young women of the Jade Street Protection Services care for people, fight the patriarchy, and just generally kick ass. The girls come from different backgrounds — Muslim, Japanese, Filipino — and there’s more to their powers and their school than meets the eye.

Transposes

Published by Northwest Press
Written by Dylan Edwards
Art by Dylan Edwards

Telling the stories of six different queer transgender men, Transposes takes on the idea of gender and sexuality being completely separate ideas through humor, information, and heartbreaking narrative.

Shirtlifter

Published by Northwest Press
Written by Steve MacIssac and various
Art by Steve MacIssac and various

Named for the British slang for a homosexual man, Shirtlifter features queer comics from a variety of writers and artists, but is first and foremost the brainchild of Steve MacIssac. Everything is tackled, from marriage to safe sex, passing to online dating.

Fun Home

Published by Mariner Books
Written by Alison Bechdel
Art by Alison Bechdel

Now a Broadway musical, Fun Home is a fully autobiographical graphic novel from the writer/artist of Dykes to Watch Out For. From Bechdel’s own coming of age and coming out arises a story of family drama, a funeral home, and a daughter’s relationship with her father.

Declaration

Self-published
Written by Joshua Trujillo
Art by Levi Hastings

Not your typical romance set in the American Revolutionary War period, Declaration introduces us to Zacherius and Hiram, who have to work out their feelings about the colonies and each other.

Spell on Wheels

Published by Dark Horse Comics
Written by Kate Leth
Art by Megan Levens and Marissa Louise

Three young witches set off on a road trip across the East coast, determined to recover some very special items stolen from them before any bad mojo can happen.

Adrian and the Tree of Secrets

Published by Arsenal Pulp Press
Written by Hubert
Art by Marie Caillou

Adrian is a young boy growing up in Catholic school, dogged by (true) rumors that he’s gay, and having to deal with a very strict mother. He manages to steal kisses with his best friend Jeremy in a tree house — until Jeremy’s girlfriend rats them out.

Flutter

Published by 215 Ink
Written by Jennie Wood
Art by Jeff McComsey

15 year old Lilly has a special power. She can transform from a girl to a boy in order to get a girl to like her (him). What she realizes along the way, however, is that changing gender is not really as simple as it seems.

Strangers in Paradise

Published by Abstract Studio
Written by Terry Moore
Art by Terry Moore

One of the longest-running, fully independent comics ever, Strangers in Paradise tells the story of Katchoo, who is in love with her best friend Francine, who is also loved by a young man named David. Much of the series is about Francine’s ambivalence as Katchoo’s history catches up to her.

Snapshots of a Girl

Published by Arsenal Pulp Press
Written by Beldan Sezen
Art by Beldan Sezen

An autobiographical graphic novel about a woman’s coming out as lesbian in both Western and Islamic cultures, Snapshots of a Girl is a thoroughly modern take on dyke culture, sexual politics, and family drama.

Freelance

Published by Chapter House Comics
Written by Jim Zub and Andrew Wheeler
Art by Vaneda Vireak

Full of international mystery and super-hero adventure, Freelance revitalizes a 1940s Canadian hero — Lance Valiant — now in public domain and gay. Joined by a spy and a pirate, Lance is the James Bond every young gay man really wanted, growing up.

Kim Reaper

Published by Oni Press
Written by Sarah Graley
Art by Sarah Graley

Kim is a college student and part-time reaper of souls, helping those on their way to the afterlife. Becka is a really shy girl who has a really big crush on Kim, not knowing anything of her job.

Love and Rockets

Published by Fantagraphic Books
Written by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez
Art by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez

Maggie and Hopey started off as best friends. Slowly but surely, their relationship blossomed into much more — more than romance even. Just two of the characters that encompass the world of Love & Rockets, but by far, they are two of the most memorable.

I.D.

Published by Image Comics
Written by Emma Rios
Art by Emma Rios

Originally serialized in the anthology series Island, I.D. features three characters — Noa, Charlotte, and Mike — who wish to undergo an experimental, cutting-edge treatment that will place their consciousnesses in another body. The series looks at identity, propriety, body language, and more.

Namesake

Published by BOOM! Studios
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Jakub Rebelka

Jordan lost both his fathers and he has one shot to honor their wishes and dispose of their ashes in Ektae, a world where alchemy is considered science, that only overlaps with Earth every seven years.

Memetic

Published by BOOM! Studios
Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Eryk Donovan and Adam Guzowski

It’s the end of the world and it’s all because of an internet meme. Starring a young gay man named Aaron who survives because he has a hearing impairment, Memetic is a modern day horror story set in New York City with tinges of sci-fi and cyber-fantasy.

Stuck Rubber Baby

Published by Vertigo Comics
Written by Howard Cruse
Art by Howard Cruse

A graphic novel looking at homosexuality and racism in the 1960s, Stuck Rubber Baby is a literal classic gay graphic novel by underground cartoonist Howard Cruse. The main character tries to cure his homosexuality by marrying, and ultimately finds acceptance in the Black community.

Skim

Published by Groundwood Books
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Art by Jillian Tamaki

Kimberly Keiko Cameron, nicknamed Skim, is in private girls’ school in the 1990s, heavy-set and goth, and falling in love with her English teacher. When a (possibly) gay boy kills himself, the school goes into mourning, and that leaves Skim even more confused and alienated.

Honor Girl

Published by Candlewick Press
Written by Maggie Thrash
Art by Maggie Thrash

Camp Bellflower seems like the perfect place to fall in love for 15 year-old Maggie Thrash. Unless it’s with another girl. One innocent moment blossoms something in Maggie and a crush on the older camp counselor throws everything in her head into a whirlwind.

Nimona

Published by Harper Collins
Written by Noelle Stevenson
Art by Noelle Stevenson

Wracking up more awards than you can count, Nimona is subversive, charming, and fun. A shapeshifter who likes to cause trouble teams up with a queer villain, Lord Ballister Blackheart, to prove the heroes aren’t as great as they seem.

Princess Princess Ever After

Published by Oni Press
Written by Katie O’Neill
Art by Katie O’Neill

Sadie and Amira are two very different princesses, but they have one thing in common. They just need each other — not a prince charming — to have adventures, be saved, and live happily ever after.

Fight Club 2

Published by Dark Horse Comics
Written by Chuck Pahlaniuk
Art by Cameron Stewart

A seminal breakdown of masculinity and queerness, the story of Fight Club (the novel, not the film) continues in graphic form with the 10-part comic series and now graphic novel, written by the author himself.

Multiple Warheads

Published by Image Comics
Written by Brandon Graham
Art by Brandon Graham

Radioactive wastelands. Organ bounty hunters. Russia. Another serial from the anthology Island, Multiple Warheads stars a woman named Sexica and it gets even more crazy from there.

Moonlighters

Published by Space Goat Productions
Written by Katie Schenkel
Art by Cal Moray

A group of college-age kids who just happen to also be werewolves, the Moonlighters are a team of problem-solvers who count among their number gay, lesbian, bi, and asexual members. Currently a digital title that will be packaged as a Backpack Edition, Moonlighters is releasing its second issue next week.

I Like Your Headband

Self-published
Written by Elizabeth Beier
Art by Elizabeth Beier

An autobiographical graphic novel about a young woman exploring her bisexuality in childhood and her dating life in adulthood, I Like Your Headband was the winner of the 2016 Queer Press Award.

All told, that’s 100 independent comics with queer content, just waiting for you to enjoy! They’re just the beginning … the future is bright for LGBTA comics, comic creators, and fans. And Comicosity will be here for all of them, starting with:

Bingo Love

Just funded on Kickstarter! And coming from Image Comics in February 2018!